Allow the French a little time (3)
I believe the answer is:
let
'allow' is the definition.
(synonyms)
'the french a little time' is the wordplay.
'the french' becomes 'le' ('the' in French).
'a little time' becomes 't' (abbreviation for time).
'le'+'t'='LET'
(Other definitions for let that I've seen before include "Was inclined to ignore" , "Won't stop you" , "inefficient service" , "Allow - hire" , "Service that must be repeated" .)